Practicing Schmooze Theory: Buffet Lunch Get Togethers for Libraries staff and their Parks department counterparts

Getting the Digital and the Physical to work together to better solve community information and recreation needs 

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Underline Library

 (note this entry is from the last Knight Challenge)

The Underline Library is ideally located across the street from the South Miami Metrorail, the city's main street, is adjacent to South Miami City Hall, and is uniquely situated along The Underline.

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Visualizing Philanthropic Funding for Libraries

A data visualization tool for libraries to track and find vital funding to serve their communities’ 21st century information needs. 

 Click here to see entry

Suppose they gave a competition and everybody won?

Give out small and medium size prizes so that everyone who entered this competition feels they are a winner! 

 click here for link

Promoting Community: The Library-Newspaper Partnership

Widen and deepen the library's audience by promoting its diverse and surprising resources using the local weekly community newspaper. 

 Click here for Link

Connecting Libraries and Parks

A partnership to create a shared physical and programmatic connection between a City of Miami Park and a Miami-Dade Public Library. 

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We Aint Just Books

"We Ain't Just Books!" is the slogan for a media campaign to let the community know libraries now offer more unusual things then books.

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Mr Lloyd's Basketball

 
Mr. Lloyd's Basketball is hosting an eight week summer basketball program for local at-risk youth in the community. This project is taking place in an area with very little funding for extracurricular activities for youth, and the goal is to encourage young people to engage in healthy living practices that allow them to set and achieve their goals.

Marcus Garvey Park Alliance

Here is Parks Commissioner Michell Silver at the opening of a Little Free Library in Marcus Garvey park

The installation of Little Free Libraries in the park provides children and young adults free access to books and a wide variety of reading materials to help encourage early reading.
 -Michell Silver NYC Parks Commissioner

Thomas Jefferson Park

Friends of Thomas Jefferson Park is installing a free library box in the park to encourage early literacy in children. The free libraries provide books to families who may not have disposable income for books at home. Each book contains pamphlets describing volunteer opportunities to improve the park and encouraging civic engagement within the community.

  Stop by our table at Street Games to find out more and how you can help make this a reality and ensure its success! Thanks to everyone!

We now have over 1,700 people in our community supporting our park on our FB group! Being active, engaged and informed online and off makes a difference in restoring park equity and taking community ownership of our public spaces in East Harlem - El Barrio. Thank you all! link

Mascot for your Park or Community Garden

 Mascots help create team spirit, that's why you'll find them used  by sports teams and other organizations.

The Parks Dept has a mascot. Why not one for your park, playground  or community garden.




 

Meet the Parks Mascot

The Parks Department is pleased to introduce our new mascot… drum roll… It's Pearl the Squirrel! Pearl loves exploring the natural wonders of New York City's parkland.
Here are a few fun facts on… wait a minute… Pearl has just tapped us on the shoulder to remind us that she can very well speak for herself. Take it away, Pearl!

Here's Some Trivia About Me!

Place of Birth: Van Cortlandt Park Preserve.
Favorite Color: Green! Kermit the Frog may have said it’s not easy being green but I disagree. I love that we’re greening our city!

Favorite Movie/TV Show: It’s My Park on NYCTV.
Favorite Game: I’m getting pretty good at Match It! on ParKids NYC.
Favorite Weekend Activity: I love to go to the Alley Pond Park Adventure Course on Sunday mornings and get a taste of what life must be like for my cousins, the flying squirrels.
Other Interests/Hobbies: Bicycling the greenways of New York City. I learned to bike at Star Track, so I’m pretty fast!

Pearl’s Past: Pick Parks’ Mascot Campaign

Pearl was born out of the submissions of hundreds of NYC parks fans from around the world.

Honorable Mentions

 

 Cullen the Cardinal by Todd Venezia,

Econaut by Eugene Mitchell

Rocco the Raccoon by Chris Livoti

New York Post

 link

1278 Myrtle Community Compost Site and Wildlife Garden

 



1278 Myrtle Community Compost Site and Wildlife Garden is creating a new community garden and compost site in two adjacent lots. Because the lots currently have less than four inches of soil depth, the initial phase involves rapidly growing the compost infrastructure to receive and process food waste and intensively building up the soil. The group is also creating opportunities for neighborhood residents to learn about composting in this new community gathering space.

Dias Y Flores Community Garden -We Grow Community

You're not just growing flowers when you run a community garden, you're really growing community. 

As you plan your community garden grant, ask yourself the question, how can we structure it to  involve people in the community who want to be part of your garden, but are not necessarily interested in gardening.

 

Grant Year:  2015

Dias y Flores Community Garden is replacing its motley collection of chairs which are no longer usable. The new chairs are allowing the garden to continue hosting community events, including potlucks, workshops, and membership meetings.

Grant Year:  2012

The Dias y Flores Community Garden is offering workshops in the arts and creative writing that draw on nature as a key inspiration. Both adults and children  are partaking in the workshops that include topics such as papermaking, cartooning, painting, and herbal preparation. The group is also collaborating with the East Village Community School to organize a one-on-one mentoring program between children and adults.

Mascot Madness

 Hold an Election for your  favorite Neighborhood Mascot!

Your grant can pay for an inter park neighborhood competition for favorite neighborhood parks mascot.


Talk to other parks in your area about creating a mascot for their spaces too. Then hold an election for favorite neighborhood park mascot. SUNY holds an election every year for favorite mascot of all its campuses. (see   Mascot Madness at SUNY  )The competition offers no prizes other then a cup and bragging rights, yet draws  tremendous dedication and support from all the SUNY campuses.

Not Just hoops

 

 

 

Grant Year:  2015

Not Just Hoops is sponsoring a four week basketball tournament for youth ages eleven to fourteen years old. The tournament is designed to teach participants a variety of basketball skills and techniques as the tournament advances. Through the tournament, participants are learning discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

Grant Year:  2014

Not Just Hoops is hosting two basketball tournaments in community parks, engaging local children and teens in a structured summer activity. Using basketball, volunteers are teaching youth participants about team work, communication, and respect for one another.

Grant Year:  2013

Not Just Hoops is planning a six week basketball clinic for kids ages 8-16 in a neighborhood that has seen a sharp decrease in organized sports programs for youth. In addition to improving basketball skills, participants learn basic nutrition and fitness tips to incorporate into their everyday lives.